Of Seas and Skies
by Momoko and Miyako
Summary: Gin is cool, mature, and determined to be the best Trainer. Kin is childish, cute, and hoping to become a stunning Coordinator. But things are never easy on the road, and soon these two will have to overcome evil, legends, and even love! OCxOC, OCxOC.
1. Prolouge

**Of Seas and Skies**

**Prolouge**

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"Come on Gin, we're going to be late!" A voice yelled from down the stairs.

Gin sighed. "No, we're not. We still have _two hours_, Kin." She yelled back down to her best friend, Kin. She could understand why Kin was so excited. Last week, Prof. Elm had called and asked that they come over. They both had a pretty good feeling why.

But, back to now. Gin took her time getting ready (mostly to annoy Kin), and went downstairs. "Okay, _now_ we can go." She said.

"Finally!" Kin said, practically running out the door. Gin followed more slowly. Kin slowed to walk next to her. "Do you really think he's going to give us each a Pokémon?" she asked.

"Yes, Kin, I do." Gin replied.

They stopped in front of the laboratory and went in. "Hello? Prof. Elm?" Kin called. There was a thump and a muted "ow" and Prof. Elm came into view.

"Ahh, Kin and Gin, you're here. Great." Elm said. "You probably know why I called you two here by now. I have some Pokémon for you!"

"Yay!" Kin squealed. While all of this was happening, Gin's eyes were glued to a group of three pokéballs.

"So you can choose any one of these Pokémon." Elm said, letting out the Pokémon from their balls. There was a Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. Kin immediately darted for the Cyndaquil. Gin was about to look at the one of the others, when something jumped up onto her shoulder.

"Chika!" It said happily. Gin looked to her shoulder to see the Chikorita there.

"Alright," Gin said, "I guess I'll choose you."

Meanwhile, Kin was coddling the Cyndaquil delightedly. "Waaaah! You're so _cute_!" she exclaimed. "I choose you!"

Elm smiled. "Now that that's done, I have a favor to ask."

Gin looked up; Kin was still cuddling the Cyndaquil. "Yes?"

"I have a friend named Mr. Pokémon up in—what's so funny?"

The girls had burst into giggles. "Mr.… _Pokémon_?" Kin coughed.

"Yes; what's so funny about that?" Elm said.

"That's a very… _original_ name." Gin said.

The professor decided to ignore this. "Anyways, back to the subject. He's always making new finds. He sent me an e-mail saying that it's "real" this time. I don't have time to go see him, so I was thinking of sending you two."

"Where does he live?" Gin asked before Kin could say anything.

"Just passed Cherrygrove city." Elm said.

Gin took out her Pokegear. Cherrygrove was pretty close…

"Okay, we'll do it." Gin said. "Right, Kin?"

"Yeah!" Kin squealed, hugging the Cyndaquil.

"Oh, and one more thing: I would like you to keep these two Pokémon always out of their balls." Elm said, "In fact, you leave their pokéballs here so you can catch six other Pokémon and have a total of seven Pokémon with you. And take these." He gave them each 6 pokéballs and a Pokedex.

"Cool!" the two girls exclaimed together, setting down Pokémon's pokéballs and grabbing the others and the Pokedex.

Chikorita was still on Gin's shoulder, so Cyndaquil jumped on to Kin's head (much wiser than on her shoulder, given the mini-volcano on its back). The two girls ran out faster than Raikou itself.

"Hm, kids…" Elm said before getting back to work, "Now where did I put that paper…"

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**Gin: This was just a prologue, so sorry for the shortness. This chapter was mainly written by me.**

**Kin: Next one will be by me, Kin, also known as the amazingly magnificent authoress CherriEclipse, or Momo Harukaze! Please excuse Gin's inexperience, she has so much to—**

**Gin: *growl* Would you like me to sic my Meganium on you again, Ms. 'I-have-a-Slowpoke-and-you-don't-so-ha'?**

**Kin: …*sits in corner***

**Please review!**


	2. Of Scary Forests and Stalker Boys

**Of Seas and Skies**

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**Note 1: When Gin and I are talking in bold type, we're speaking as the authors of this story and not the characters. We may, however, react to things in the story that happen to us.**

**Note 2: THE MYSTERIOUS FIGURE IS NOT SILVER!**

**Note 3: Here's what Gin and I look like!**

**Gin:**

**Hair: Red-brown hair pulled up in a ponytail that goes down to her back**

**Eyes: Deep blue**

**Clothes: Light purple jacket, white shirt, light blue jeans, black hiking boots with purple laces, a light orange bag**

**Personality: Mature, cold, unsociable**

**Kin:**

**Hair: Brown, hair put up in two pigtails, a pink bandana with a white Pokeball pattern on it**

**Eyes: Gold**

**Clothes: Pink shirt, purple vest over it, light purple skirt, dark high purple socks, purple high-knee boots.**

**Personality: Hyper, happy, childish, bubbly**

**Kin: And now, the first chapter! Written by me, the famous Kin, also known as Momoko Harukaze—**

**Gin: Will you just shut up about that?**

**Kin: *pout***

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. All we own are our awesome-sauce characters.**

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Gin and Kin were walking down the path to Cherrygrove. Kin was looking confusedly at a map that the two had gotten from Kin's mother. The girl furrowed her brow frustratedly. "Hey, Gin, are you _sure _we're going the right way?"

Gin sighed. "Of course, Kin. And stop using that idiotic map. What is that, thirty years old?" She taunted. Kin growled. "Well, I'm no good with my Pokegear!" She protested. Gin smiled.

"And computers, and radio, and the Wii, and the microwave… Hey, remember the time you blew up that Oran Berry?"

Kin's face went red. "Shut up!"

Gin sighed. "Either way, you fail at machines, period."

Kin simply hid her blushing face behind the old map, muttering, "I still think we're going the wrong way." Gin scoffed. "Don't be stupid, of course we're going the correct direction. Right, Chikorita?" She asked the little green Pokémon on her shoulder. Chikorita nodded. "Chika~!" It cried.

Kin looked up at the little Cyndaquil on her head. "Well, I think we're going the _wrong _way. Right, Cyndaquil?"

Cyndaquil nodded. "Cynda~quil!" It answered happily. Kin nodded. "That's right!" She smiled.

The pair kept walking, but suddenly Kin spun around to look behind her.

Gin turned to see. "Kin? What's wrong?" She asked. Kin was staring at a spot in the trees behind them. "I… I thought I saw someone… thing." She murmured. "Never mind. Let's go."

They kept walking, but unbeknownst to them somebody _was _watching them from the trees.

The mysterious figure smiled as they sat on a branch and said, "Well this should be fun, huh, Totodile?"

"Toto~!"

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The girls kept walking, and they were now in a place with dense trees everywhere. Kin looked around edgily. "G… Gin, are you _sure _we're going the right way?"

"I dunno."

"_WHAT?"_

Gin held up her Pokegear. "I forgot to charge the battery last night. Thing died on me." She said. "Can I see yours?"

…

"…Yours is dead too, isn't it?"

"…Maaaaaaybe…"

Gin sighed. "Great. Now all we've got is that stupid map."

"Don't underestimate the map!" Kin retorted. "This thing helped me a lot when I was on vacation in…

"…Hoenn…"

Gin snapped. "YOU TOOK THE WRONG MAP?"

"I'M SORRY!" Kin wailed running off, Cyndaquil just barely holding on. Gin's eyes widened. "Kin, don't run off! You'll get…

"…lost…!"

And she was gone.

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"GIN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Kin screamed. "CYNDAAA! CYNDAQUIIIIIL?" Cyndaquil cried out, mimicking Kin. Kin sat on a rock sadly. "Great. We got lost, my Pokegear isn't working…

_Groooooowl…_

"…And the snacks are in Gin's bag."

Kin shot up. "DANG IT! WHERE ARE YOU, G—"

"Need any help, Princess?"

"Eh?" Kin spun around, alarmed. Someone had approached her.

It was a boy, probably her age or so. He had black hair that had grown out a little, about a quarter of the way to his shoulders. He had coal black eyes with just the slightest hint of blue in them, and he wore khaki colored pants, a short sleeved green shirt, and a light brown vest. He wore a smug look on his face, and a Totodile (which, ironically, had the same expression) hung onto his shoulder.

"Wh… who are you?" Kin stuttered. Cyndaquil growled, the fire on its back flaring up. The boy's Totodile smirked more.

The boy's grin increased with his Pokémon's. "My name isn't important. But I'm guessing yours is… Kin?"

Silence.

Then, "STALKER!"

The boy fell over with the force of Kin's scream. The girl was pointing at him accusingly. "Stalker! Stalker! You've gotta be a stalker!" She was squealing.

The boy scowled. "What the heck, I'm not a stalker! The only reason I know your name is because I was following you and your friend—" Totodile clamped a hand over his mouth. Kin's eyes widened.

"KYAAAAAAAAAHHH!" She screamed more. The boy facepalmed. "No, no, that wasn't it, that was not what I meant to say!" He yelled. His cool demeanor had completely vanished. "What I _mean _is that I was walking by and I saw your rare Pokémon—" He gestured to Cyndaquil, "And I wanted to ask where you'd gotten it!"

"So you were stalking my Cyndaquil!"

"NO!"

Totodile was now wholly annoyed with the boy's embarassment. It shot a gun of water out its mouth and into the boy's face.

The boy spluttered, "What the hell, Totodile!" He yelled. "What was that f—"

"Hee hee."

"Eh?"

Kin had giggled a little. "Hee… Ahahahahahaha! Serves you right, stalker!" She laughed. Totodile scurried up to Kin.

"Toto. Totodile… Toto Totodile." It said. It seemed as if the little Pokémon was saying, _"Sorry about my partner, he's an idiot."_ Kin smiled. The boy growled. "Let me say this slowly… I. Am. Not. A. Stalker. Got it, Princess?"

Kin copied his scowl. "Fine then. I won't call you a stalker if you don't call me Princess."

"No."

"Fine, stalker."

"But I'm not a—"

"STALKER!"

"…"

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Meanwhile, Gin was walking silently through the forest with Chikorita. "Do you think Kin is OK?" She asked. Chikorita shook its head.

Gin sighed. "Yeah, I thought so… I hope she didn't get attacked by some stalker weirdo." She muttered.

Suddenly, there was a crash and something came tumbling out of the bushes on the path. "What was that?" Gin cried, looking around wildly.

The 'something' was a boy. He had brown hair, and he wore goggles on his forehead. He wore a white shirt and a black jacket, along with blue jeans and yellow sneakers. Another small detail (not to him) was that he was being attacked by a Spearow.

"Get off, get off, GET OFF!" He yelled frantically. He had a Sneasel running around him, swiping the air with its claws. Gin's eyes narrowed. "Chikorita, Tackle that Spearow outta the air!" She commanded, and Chikorita ran forward, knocking the bird Pokémon out of midair angrily. The Spearow twitched bleakly on the ground, but Gin pulled a Pokeball out of her bag and threw it at the creature.

The Pokémon was enveloped in red light, and then it was captured in the device. The ball rolled around for a bit, but then it stopped and let out a resounding _click_.

Gin's breath caught, and she ran forward to pick up the ball. When it was in her hands, she grinned. "Yes! I caught it!" She cried. "My first Pokémon!"

"…Um, thanks!"

Gin turned to see the boy that had been attacked smiling at her. "Thank you!" He said again. "I thought I was in trouble there, but you sa—"

"Oh, you're still here?"

"Eh?"

Gin started walking off, Chikorita right behind her. "Come on, Chikorita. We'd better find Kin…"

The boy blinked. "W-wait!" He called. "You're looking for someone? Well, I am too. How about we look together?"

Gin turned to look coldly at the boy. The boy flinched, but Gin said, "Fine. You can come, but don't. Get. In. My. Way."

Said boy gulped. 

"What's your name anyway?" Gin asked with an air of disinterest. The boy smiled tentatively.

"M-my name is Daiki. Oh, and the guy I'm looking for is named Uruha. He has black hair and he should have a Totodile with him…"

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**Kin: DONE! Cliffhanger, hah! Anyways, how'd you like my amazing-absolutely-perfect chapter? After all, I'm waaaaay better at everything than Gin…**

**Gin: *facepalm* …**

**Kin: …Cause I have a Slowpoke!**

**Gin: *FACEPALM x2 COMBO!***

**Please review~!**


	3. Of Sentrets and Awkwardness

**Of Seas and Skies**

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**NOTE: Gin is pronounced 'guh-in'.**

**Kin: Yay! It's time for a new chapter of… 'Of Seas and'—**

**Gin: *****whacks Kin***** Idiot, I was supposed to do that part!**

**Kin: *****sitting in corner while holding her head***** Waaaaaahhh…**

**Disclaimer:**

**Mysterious Black Haired Boy: Princess and that girl with the ponytail don't own Pokemon—**

**Gin: *****whacks boy***** Idiot, **_**Kin**_** was supposed to do that part!**

**Boy: *****holding his head***** Owwww…**

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Gin and her new acquaintance, Daiki, were walking through the woods searching for Kin and Daiki's friend, Uruha. Daiki was tailing behind Gin timidly. He had a Sneasel next to him that looked rather exasperated. He finally mustered enough courage to say, "Um, I don't believe I've heard your name."

"Why would I tell you?" Gin replied coolly. Daiki gulped nervously. Gin sighed. "…It's Gin." She murmured quietly. Daiki smiled tentatively. "Oh. My name is—"

"Daiki. I know."

"…" He gulped again.

Gin's eyes suddenly lit up as if she'd had a great idea. She took a Pokeball and threw it in the air. "Spearow!" She called.

The Pokeball released its contents to reveal the Spearow Gin had captured earlier. Daiki winced as the Spearow glared menacingly at him; it had been attacking him not too long ago.

"Spearow." Gin said. "Could you fly up and look for some people for me and Daiki here? We're looking for Kin, she's got two pigtails and she's wearing a skirt, plus she's got a Cyndaquil with her. Oh, and then you should also keep an eye out for Daiki's friend… Err, what was it… Uruha! Yes, Uruha. He's got black hair, and he should have a Totodile with him. Can you do that?"

Spearow nodded and, with one last glare at Daiki, took off into the skies. Gin sighed. "'K, that's over with." She stated. "Let's keep walking." Daiki nodded, then asked, "Y… Your Spearow doesn't really like me… Does it?"

"No. It doesn't."

"…O-OK…"

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Meanwhile, Kin and her new… 'stalker' were walking through the dense trees and grass slowly. Kin was slightly behind the boy, glowering at the back of his head. Finally he sighed.

"…Will you quit glaring at me, Princess? It's unnerving." He said. Kin glared more. "No!" She answered childishly.

The boy sighed again. "Why do you hate me?" He muttered. "Because you're a stalker!" Kin stated bluntly.

"I thought we already established that I'm not a stalker!"The boy answered angrily. Then his expression softened a great deal. "…I know _another _reason you might be acting so inhospitable to me…" He murmured seductively.

Kin blinked. "A-and what would that be?" She answered bravely, trying not to lose face.

The boy took one of Kin's wrists in his hand and held it up against a nearby tree. He then placed his knee between her legs to keep her from escaping. Kin gasped. "W-what are you doing?" She asked nervously, clutching Cyndaquil close to her. Totodile was behind the boy, obviously alarmed and angry at his action. The boy smirked.

"I'm just showing you why you're acting so _mean_, Kiiiin." He whispered. "You see, it's…

"Lo—ve…"

Kin's face grew hot.

Then she slapped him.

"Y-you jerk! Pervert! STALKER!" She screamed.

WITH GIN AND DAIKI

"D-did you hear something?"

"No."

WITH KIN AND THE MYSTERIOUS BOY

The boy, one side of his face red from where he had been slapped, saw Kin's burning face.

He then burst into laughter.

"Y-your f-face… Ahahahaha!" He laughed. Kin blinked. "Y-you…" She growled. "You _physically attack _me, and you start laughing?"

The boy laughed more. "It was a _joke_, Princess." He answered. "I'm just trying to get you to loosen up a bit…"

Kin's eyebrows shot up behind her bangs. "So you thought that the best way to get me to—to _loosen up_ was—!" She stammered angrily, her face growing redder.

The boy looked up innocently. "Yeah." He grinned. Kin scowled. He then held out a hand to her. "Sorry for scaring you like that." He apologized, although the smile in his eyes was still there.

Kin glared at the hand apprehensively for a few seconds, as though it was a lethal weapon of some sort. She then walked past him with a "Hmph!"

They kept walking. Finally, Kin asked, "What's your name, anyways?" The boy grinned.

"If I told you, I would have to _kill you_."

"WHAT?"

The boy started laughing again. "Just kidding, just kidding!" He snickered. He straightened up and said,

"My name's Uruha."

Kin nodded. "Uruha. OK. Gotta remember that for the police…" She muttered. Uruha sweatdropped. "H-hey, you're not really reporting me to the police, are you…?" He asked. Kin smiled. "It was a joke." She said. Uruha sighed in relief. "…I really am sorry about that." He said nervously. "I expected the slap, but I didn't know you would get so flustered… Sorry."

Kin narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. Finally she said, "…Apology _not_ accepted." Uruha sighed in defeat.

…

"…Yet."

Uruha looked up, but Kin was already a few feet away, walking with her Cyndaquil. He stared after her. Totodile, who was on his shoulder, waved a hand in front of his face. "…Toto? Totodile?" It said worriedly. Uruha blinked. "…Weird." He commented. He then started walking behind her.

Meanwhile, a very mentally scarred Spearow was staring at the pair as it was perched on a branch. Had that human boy just pinned the girl to a tree? And she'd slapped him? _What was going on _(Spearow had never witnessed this kind of… _contact_ between the regular young Trainers that passed through.)

Spearow flew off to report to Gin. "SPEAROW, SPEAROW, SPEAROW!"

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When Spearow returned to Gin and Daiki, it's behavior was a bit more than surprising.

"Spearow, calm down!"

"What the hell—!"

Spearow was buzzing around like a crazed Rattata. Gin was stunned. "Spearow," She tried again, "Calm do—" But it was no use, because Spearow dove under Daiki's feet, which caused him to trip and fall.

Onto Gin.

Daiki had caught himself on his hands and knees, and he had Gin pinned to the ground. He turned red. "U-um…" He stammered. Sneasel and Chikorita were shocked, making small squeaking noises.

Gin's face only went a light pink. "…Get off, please." She commanded calmly. Daiki stood up quickly. He held out a hand stiffly to Gin. "Need any help?" He asked nervously. Gin said nothing, she just took his hand silently and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Daiki let go quickly. Spearow then shot straight towards Gin. She held up a hand and caught it in her hand.

"_Spearow." _She growled. _"What is it?"_

Spearow gulped. It then started flapping its wings frantically. "S-Spearow! Spearow spear! SPEAR-SPEAROW!"

Gin pinched the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. "Arceus…" She muttered. "Did you find Kin and Uruha?"

Spearow nodded. "Then take us to them, please." Gin ordered gently. The bird Pokemon nodded again and took off. Gin and Daiki ran after it.

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Kin and Uruha were still walking. Uruha had tried the occasional joke every once in awhile, but Kin hadn't laughed once. OK, maybe that one time. What? It was funny!

Suddenly, something rustled in the tall grass next to them. Kin jumped. "What was that?" She asked. Uruha shrugged. "Beats me." He answered.

A Sentret burst out from the grass. "Sentret sent!" It cried.

Kin gasped. _"So cute!" _She squealed. Uruha blinked. "Huh. I thought Sentret were shy as hell." He mumbled to himself.

Kin got a look of determination on her face. "I'm catching it!" She stated. "Cyndaquil, go!" Cyndaquil ran forward, the flames on its back burning bright.

"Cyndaquil, Tackle attack!" Kin ordered. Cyndaquil ran forward and hit the Sentret with all its power. "Again!" Kin said, and she seemed to move her body in a pose as she pointed at the target. Uruha's eyes widened.

By this point, the Sentret had lost a good deal of HP. It growled and started digging up sand, throwing it at Cyndaquil. "That's Sand Attack!" Uruha yelled. "Look out! Next its probably going to use—"

But right on cue, the Sentret popped out of the haze of sand and started scratching Cyndaquil. "Cyndaquil!" Kin cried out. "That's enough!" She then dug out a Pokeball from her bag.

"Go, Pokeball!" She threw the object at Sentret, and it was captured inside of it. The Pokeball wobbled a bit…

The rolled around some…

And then… Very slowly…

_Click._

Kin blinked. Then she jumped into the air. "Yay! I did it!" She screamed happily. She then ran and picked up the Pokeball, hooking it onto her belt where it was supposed to go.

Uruha smirked. "Congrats, Princess." He said. Kin turned to see him. She nodded and smiled. "…Thank you." She said, curtsying. Uruha sweatdropped. "…What's with the curtsy?" He asked.

Kin winked. "I'm a princess, right? So I curtsy." She said happily.

Uruha sighed, but he was smiling nonetheless. "…Hey, Princess." He said. "What?" Kin asked.

"Do you know about Contests?" He asked. Kin blinked, slowly shaking her head. Uruha smiled. "They're where you show off your Pokemon's beauty and try to earn ribbons. The Coordinator—that's the name people call people who participate in Contests—also must possess a natural ability to be on stage and shine, however. I'm guessing you like dancing?"

Kin's body jolted. "…I took dancing when I was little… How do you know?" She asked. Uruha grinned more. "Your body movements were that of someone with true Contest talent." He answered. Kin nodded, still not really getting it.

"…How do you know about all this?" She asked. Uruha smiled. "Well… You'll find out, probably." He said.

Just then, a voice was heard. "Kin! KIN!" Gin called out. Kin turned to see Gin and some boy with goggles running towards her. "Gin!" She called back, running to her. When they met, they clasped hands.

"Kin, are you OK?" Gin asked worriedly. Kin nodded, too stunned to speak. Gin looked over Kin's shoulder to see Uruha. "…Who're you?" She asked suspiciously.

Uruha smiled. "My name is—"

"URUHA!"

"…What he said." Uruha sighed as Daiki ran up to him. "Uruha, how many times have I told you not to run off like that?" Daiki yelled exasperatedly. He then noticed Kin, who was looking at _him_ suspiciously. "…Who's he, Gin?" She asked.

Gin sighed as Daiki said politely, "I'm Daiki. And you must be Kin, correct?" Kin nodded. Then she seemed to remember something. "Ah, that's right! Gin, I caught a Sentret!"

Gin nodded and smiled. "I caught a Spearow, too." She said. "But nevermind that, were you walking around with this… Uruha?" Uruha grimaced. "Don't call me like some kind of object." He muttered. Kin nodded. "Y-yeah…"

Daiki's eyes widened. "Oh no. Oh God, no. Uruha, you didn't…" He stammered, going pale. Uruha sweatdropped nervously. "I-it's not what you think, Daiki! I just tried to get her to calm down—"

"CALM DOWN? DON'T JOKE WITH ME!" Daiki yelled, his character completely changing. "Why, _why_ do you have to hit on _every freaking girl you see?_"

Gin's eyes widened and she looked at Kin. "He didn't…" She growled. Kin gulped. "No, Gin, wait. He apologized. Please don't—"

"YOU JERK!" Gin screamed, taking a large hammer out from who knows where. Her quiet and mature personality had done a 180. "YOU PERVERT, YOU BASTARD, YOU ENEMY OF WOMEN!"

"Aaaaaah!" Uruha yelled, taking off. "It was a joke! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT HAMMER?"

"Chika chika!" Gin's Chikorita squealed. "Chiko!" Daiki's Sneasel also ran up. "Sneasel! Snea!" It shouted, hooking its claw on Daiki's shirt and holding him back. Eventually, Gin calmed down, although she was still angry. She somehow fit her hammer in her bag. With one final glare at Uruha, she grabbed Kin's sleeve. "Come on, Kin. We're going. We'll stay the night at the Pokemon Center, the sun's almost about to set." The two started walking towards Cherrygrove Town, which was almost in sight. The two boys followed after them. Gin glowered. "Why are you following us?"

"W-we're going the same way you are…" Daiki stammered nervously, his shy character returning. Uruha was muttering angrily to himself, his Totodile sweatdropping. Kin was holding her Cyndaquil close to her as though it was some kind of plush toy she held to comfort herself.

And so the group, awkward silence enveloping them and everything within ten yards of them, made its way to Cherrygrove City as the sun set.

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When they arrived, Gin and Kin stopped at the Pokemon Center. They turned to face the two boys. "You're not staying the night?" Gin asked uninterestedly. Daiki sweatdropped. "N-no, we think we'll go a bit farther and then set up a campsite." Uruha then stepped forward to face Kin.

"Think about what I said about Contests, OK?" He said. Kin nodded. Uruha then took her hand.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, _Princess_." He then kissed the back of her hand.

Daiki went red and started glaring at his partner.

Gin glared with Daiki.

Kin started blushing furiously.

Uruha smiled up at her. "See you." He said, slowly slipping her hand out of his grasp and walking away with the still glaring Daiki.

As they walked, Daiki whispered angrily, "Why did you do that? Sure, you're a playboy, but doing… _that?_ That's new, even for you." Uruha smiled.

"That girl… She's interesting." He laughed quietly. "This is going to be fun."

Meanwhile, Gin looked suspiciously at Kin. "…Well. Seems you've made a new friend… How do you feel about this?" She asked.

Kin blinked, her face still a fine red. She then closed her eyes and murmured, "That guy…"

"_Need any help, Princess?"_

"_I'm just showing you why you're acting so _mean_, Kiiiin." He whispered. "You see, it's…_

"_Lo—ve…"_

"_Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, _Princess._"_

Kin said again, "That guy…" And then she screamed to the heavens,

"THAT GUY IS THE BIGGEST JERK I HAVE EVER MET IN MY LIFE!"

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**Kin: *m****uttering angrily***** That idiot—Oh! Sorry! Just talking to myself… This was made by both of us at Gin's house. Anyways, review and you'll get some free cyber-cookies! Don't review and Gin will shoot cyber-cookies at you!**

**Gin: *****preparing cookie cannon* …**

**Please review~**


	4. Of Pokedexes and Noriko

**Of Seas and Skies**

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**Gin: *reading from script* Well, here's another super lovely, heart pumping chapter of 'Of Seas and'—**

**Kin: Nooo! Gin, you're doing it all wrong, you need to use **_**emotion**_**! Like this: Hi! Here's another super lovely chapter of the story that makes your heart pump; 'Of Seas and Skies'! See?**

**Gin: That's stupid. *blunt***

**Kin: Ehhhh? Gin, you're mean…**

**Disclaimer:**

Uruha: Princess and Gin do not own Pokémon in any way. *wink*

**Daiki: *glare* …**

**Uruha: …You're not still mad from last chapter, are you?**

Daiki: *GLARE* …

**Uruha: *sigh***

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_Brush…_

_Brush…_

…_Brush…_

"Are you done yet, Gin?" Kin asked irritably. Gin sighed, annoyed. "Hang _on_, Kin. Goddamn knot…" She muttered; tugging a brush through her long red-brown hair, which fell all the way down to a little farther than her waist. It wasn't in a ponytail yet. The two were still in the Pokémon Center in Cherrygrove Town.

Kin scowled and strode across the room angrily. She then ripped the brush out of Gin's hands, taking a good chunk of her hair with it.

"OW!" Gin screamed, rubbing her head. "What the hell was that for!" Kin pouted and plopped on the bed in full on sulk mode now. "Nothing." She murmured. Kin's hair, which also wasn't in its regular pigtailed glory, went down to the middle of her back, turning a little wavy at the end. When the sun hit it, you could see that it wasn't entirely brown; it was singed with the slightest tint of purple. She was holding her right hand close to her chest, and her face was slightly pink.

Gin raised an eyebrow, suddenly understanding.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, Princess." He then kissed the back of her hand._

_Daiki went red and started glaring at his partner._

_Gin glared with Daiki._

_Kin started blushing furiously._

_Uruha smiled up at her. "See you." He said, slowly slipping her hand out of his grasp and walking away with the still glaring Daiki._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Please don't tell me this is love at first sight."

"Wha-!" Kin exclaimed, looking up in surprise. Gin simply smirked at her best friend.

…

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? STOP JOKING WITH ME!" Kin screamed, throwing a pillow at Gin. Gin neatly dodged the fluffy projectile and sighed, then picking up her Chikorita and stroking her leaf. Chikorita squealed happily at the gesture. "Chika~!" She cried.

Gin looked up at Kin. Kin had Cyndaquil in her arms and was holding it like a five year old would hold their favorite blanket. Gin couldn't blame her; Cyndaquil were naturally warm from their Fire affiliations. She did know, however, that Kin was holding the Pokémon purely for comfort.

"…Gin," She said, picking up her pink barrettes and beginning to tie them in her hair. "What?" Gin asked.

Kin looked up, her purple-brown hair in pigtails now, and said, "Do you know anything about Contests?"

Gin blinked, but then put a hand to her chin and said thoughtfully, "Not much. I do know, however, that they're a bit more complicated than Gym Battles and getting to the Pokémon League. First is the preliminary round; it's where Trai—no, wait, what were Contest participants called again?—oh yeah, _Coordinators _combine Pokémon's moves to create really pretty displays that show off a Pokémon's intelligence, coolness, beauty, cuteness or toughness depending on the theme of the Contest.

"The next round is battling, but you get points added on for contributing to your Pokémon's appearance during the fight… But that's all I know, I'm pretty sure that the remaining contestants that get through the preliminaries battle it out tournament style until a winner emerges. Oh, and Coordinators usually dress up for Contests in really outrageous costumes, it's some tradition that's been started in Sinnoh recently.

"Any questions?" Gin finished, turning to Kin. The intelligent girl had been pacing the room as she talked the entire time. Kin was gaping at her. "Not much? _Not much?_" She said. "You just gave an entire god-freaking _lecture _on Contests!"

Gin sweatdropped. "I-I don't know _everything _about them." She laughed, slightly flustered. "Most of that was just speculation."

Kin goggled more. Gin blushed lightly, but then coughed nervously and said, "Well, we should be leaving for Mr. Pokémon's house about now." The ponytailed girl then hurriedly picked up her bag and walked out the door, Kin close behind.

As they walked out of the Pokémon Center and through Cherrygrove City, Kin was deep in thought. _'Contests, huh?' _She thought. _'They sound kinda fun… No, what am I thinking? I'm going to be a Pokémon TRAINER. That's what Gin is being anyways. C-contests probably wouldn't even be that fun…'_

…

'…_But still…' _Kin thought as she looked up at the gleaming sun, _'It wouldn't hurt to try, right?'_

"Hello there! You two pretty girls!"

"Hm?" Gin said as she and Kin turned to see an elderly man with a short white beard. He seemed to be very energetic despite his old age. He sprinted up to the two girls.

"You two girls look rather lost!" The man said.

Gin blinked and said, "Actually, we—"

"No matter! I, this town's elder and wise man, will give you a tour of our humble city!" He went on.

Kin sweatdropped and tried, "No, it's not that we're lost it's—"

"Do not fret, young girl! I don't mind at all!" The man cut in again. The girls sighed. The elderly man continued to say, "You see that red building over there? That is the—"

"Pokémon Center. We know." Gin interrupted. The old man blinked and pointed to a building with a blue roof. "Well, I bet you really didn't know about—" 

"Oooh! I know, I know!" Kin jumped up. "That's a PokéMart!"

The man's eye twitched, but then he pointed towards another direction and announced: "Well, this one has got to be very tough for you, it's—"

"The sea." The girls said together.

The man sighed morosely and muttered, "Well, I guess there's no use telling you what _that _one is…" He pointed towards a nearby small house as he said this.

"…Actually no, we don't know that one." Gin stated, blinking. "Tell us, tell us!" Kin chirped happily.

The man's spirits were instantly refreshed and replenished. "Ahh, so you DON'T know everything!" He yelled triumphantly. "That, my friends, is my house! Do drop by for a visit, would you?"

'_Note to self: Stay away from that house,' _Gin thought, but to the man she answered, "Of course we will, sir. It would be rude not to show our thanks after all the help you have given us."

The old man grinned, and then he seemed to remember something. "Ah! Hold on there!" He said suddenly, running into his house.

Gin tugged on Kin's sleeve. "Let's go." She murmured. "No, wait!" Kin said. "I bet he wants to give us something important!"

Gin scoffed and rolled her eyes, but then the man exited his house while holding two boxes. "Take these Running Shoes!" He said happily, handing each girl a box. Gin blinked. Kin smiled.

"Er… Thanks…?" Gin muttered. "Thank you very much!" Kin said sweetly. The man nodded and handed Kin a sheet. "These are the instructions for the shoes! I hope you two have a good time speeding along the roads of Johto!" The man laughed, and then walked back into his house.

Gin sat down to replace her current shoes while Kin read the instructions. "It was nice of the old man to give us these nice shoes; I was beginning to outgrow my old ones…" Gin said. Kin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, same here… Huh? What's this?"

Gin looked up. "Something wrong?" She asked. Kin seemed uncertain. "Err… Well, these instructions are a little weird." She said. "They say that we have to press the **'B Button' **to run."

Kin looked down at Gin. "…What's the **B Button**?" She asked. Gin looked just as confused as her. "Don't ask me…" She answered. "Anyways, let's just go."

Gin waited for Kin to replace her current shoes, then since they had no need for their old ones they threw them out. As they walked down the path to Route 30, Kin suddenly asked another question.

"Even weirder, how did that old man know our shoe size…?"

"…I don't know, and I don't _want _to know."

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As the duo walked down Route 30, Kin suddenly pointed ahead and proclaimed; "That must be Mr. Pokémon's house!"

Gin looked up to see a small, wooden house that did indeed fit the description that Professor Elm had given them. Kin ran up ahead to knock on the door when—

BANG!

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! Oh my goodness, are you OK?"

"Owie…" Just when Kin had been about to knock, the door had swung open and whacked her in the face. Kin looked up to see a tall girl with extremely long black hair that fell to almost around her ankles. She wore glasses and a yellow headband to hold her dark tresses back. The girl was wearing a yellow dress and a green minijacket.

"I'm so, so, _so_ sorry!" The girl was wailing. Kin stood up quickly. "No, it's OK! I'm not right in the head anyway, so being hit doesn't really make a difference! Ahahahaha! …Ow." Kin said, rubbing her forehead tenderly.

"Everything alright, Noriko?" A man said as he walked up from behind the black-haired girl. The girl now had tears in her eyes. "I-I was leaving, and I opened the door, and this girl was here, and I hit her, and—"

"Alright, alright. I get it." The man sighed as if he was used to it. He turned to Gin and Kin. "Sorry about her, she's my neighbor. Noriko, wipe your tears and introduce yourself." He said.

The girl used her minijacket to wipe her eyes briefly, then straightened up. "My name is Noriko Ishikawa. I'm here in Johto to study Pokémon Breeding, but I decided to stay briefly with my grandfather, Mr. Pokémon, before setting out…"

Suddenly, a blue Pokémon that bore some similarity to a cat walked out from behind Noriko. Despite resembling a feline, it seemed as if it would most be at home in water, as a long mermaid's tail sprouted out from behind it and a finlike collar sprouted from its neck.

"Ah!" Noriko exclaimed. "T-this is my partner, Vaporeon, but I call her Vapa… Say hi, Vapa!"

"Vapor! Vaporeon!" The Pokémon cried out.

Kin squealed over the cuteness of it, but Gin was simply blinking, surprised. "…Wait. You're Mr. Pokémon's _granddaughter_?" She asked. Noriko stared blankly. "Yes, is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, quite the opposite… In fact, me and my friend Kin Aomori here have to see him on orders of Professor Elm. My name is Gin, by the way," Gin added curtly. "Gin Suzuki."

Noriko blinked.

Then she blinked again.

Then she screamed, "I'M SO SORRY!"

Gin, Kin, and their two Pokémon were blasted backwards into a bush by the force of her scream. Cyndaquil's back flared up in protest at the loud noise, catching the bush on fire.

"Ahhhh!" Gin, Kin, and Chikorita immediately jumped aside as the bush flamed. Chikorita ran as far as she could behind the house, intimidated by the heat.

"V-Vapa, use Water Gun!" Noriko commanded instantly, and a stream of water issued itself from Vapa's mouth, putting out the fire. As soon as it was over, Kin ran over and picked up Cyndaquil. "Bad Cyndaquil!" She scolded. "You could have started a forest fire!"

Cyndaquil hung his head, obviously embarrassed. Kin's expression softened by a fraction. "As long as you understand, it's fine." She assured the little fire mouse.

"Anyways, why are you 'sorry'?" Gin asked. Noriko was tearing up again. The man behind her sighed.

"Grandfather told me to keep an eye out for two young girl trainers with rare Pokémon, and if I saw them I was to lead them to his house, but I saw you and I didn't recognize you and _I'm so sorry!_" Noriko sobbed.

Gin sweatdropped. "It's OK, but could you _please_ take us to Mr. Pokémon's house?" She asked. Noriko nodded, unable to say anything more. The man, who had been watching this whole scene, suddenly said "Hold on a sec."

He left for a few seconds, but then returned almost instantly while holding an orange basket with a gray lid. He held it out to Gin. "This Apricorn Box can store hundreds of Apricorns. Apricorns are similar to Berries, and they can be found all around Johto. They make good traveling snacks and you can even use them to make Pokéballs, so I would suggest collecting a lot.

Gin nodded, hooking the basket onto her bag. She turned to the man and said, "Thank you very much." Just then, Chikorita peeped out from behind the house. Gin smiled slightly. "The fire's all gone now, Chika." She said softly. "You can come out now."

Chikorita immediately ran out from behind the house and leaped into Gin's arms, still spooked by the previous scare. Noriko picked up a backpack, turned to Gin and Kin and said, "Well then, shall we go?"

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About twenty minutes later, the threesome had arrived at another house, this one a bit more stately than the previous. Noriko smiled.

"This is my Grandfather's house," She said. "Won't you please come in?"

Gin nodded and Kin said, "Yes, please!" The three walked into the house and were greeted by utter chaos.

Papers and books were scattered everywhere, computer wires trailed around the floor, and countless picture frames and architectural drawings were hung and posted on the walls. The group heard a voice coming from behind a few bookshelves.

"…Utter chaos, Masahiro, you should really clean up in this place, especially since your granddaughter is staying!"

Another voice said, "I don't know _what _you're talking about, Sam, I know exactly where everything is!"

"Then where are those papers I faxed you two weeks ago?"

"They're… err… Hold on a moment, I…"

"You lost them?"

"I DID NOT! I simply _misplaced _them!"

The girls and their Pokémon peeped around a shelf to see two rather elderly men bickering. One wore a brown bowler hat and had white hair and a mustache, the other had a clean shaven face, a white lab coat and grayish-brown hair. Noriko said timidly. "G-Grandfather, we have visitors…"

The man with the mustache looked up at the girls. "Ah, Noriko! And you two must be the messengers Elm sent! Come here, my dears!"

Kin and Gin walked up slowly. The other man in the lab coat was shaking his head wearily. "Honestly, Masahiro…" He muttered angrily. He then noticed Cyndaquil and Chikorita. He blinked. "Ah!" He said suddenly, "Those are rare Pokémon!"

Gin blinked. "Uh… yeah… Who're you?" She asked.

The man straightened and said, "My name is Professor Samuel Oak."

…

"OH MY ARCEUS!" Gin suddenly screamed. "YOU'RE PROFESSOR OAK!"

"…Err… Yes, I believe I established that…" The man said, sweatdropping. Gin turned to Kin, pointing at Oak. "Kin, are you getting this? ARE YOU GETTING THIS?" She yelled. Kin sweatdropped. "Uhh… Sorta… Isn't Professor Oak that smart guy in all the books you read…?" She guessed. Gin kept freaking out.

"YES! HE IS! THIS IS _THE _PROFESSOR SAMUEL OAK, BORN AND RAISED IN KANTO, CURRENTLY LIVING IN PALLET TOWN AT HIS LABORATORY ON 3871 VILEPLUME AVENUE, DISCOVERER OF NEARLY 100 NEW SPECIES OF POKÉMON AND THE AUTHORITY ON THE MYSTERY OF POKÉMON EVOLUTION! _**AND HERE HE IS AND HE'S STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!**_"

Gin took a deep breath, turned to Oak, and said calmly, "Pleased to meet you sir, my name is Gin Suzuki. I'm a huge fan."

Oak was still a little shaken by Gin's sudden outburst. "Err. No, the pleasure is mine, Miss Suzuki." He laughed nervously. "You should probably calm your Chikorita, by the way, it seems that it was a bit more than startled at your… seeing me…"

Gin looked over to see Chikorita running around in circles frantically, obviously frightened. She sighed and picked up the little Grass Type, calming her down. "There, there…" She sighed. She then looked to Mr. Pokémon, who also seemed surprised at her freak fest. Gin coughed embarrassedly, but then said, "You, ah, had something to give to us?"

Mr. Pokémon blinked, then proclaimed; "A-ah! Yes, yes… Now, where was it…" The man ducked into a closet briefly, but then returned carrying a glass case. Inside of it was a white egg with red and blue triangles on it.

Kin peered through the glass at the egg. "Wow, this is… wow," was all she could say. Noriko was beaming.

"Anyways, this is nothing other than a Pokémon Egg!" Mr. Pokémon said importantly, drawing himself up. "It is to be delivered to the good Professor Elm _posthaste_! Oh, and Noriko," He paused, turning to the dark haired beauty, "Noriko, my sweet, would you please go with these two girls? Just so you can visit Professor Elm, Arceus knows it's been at least 13 years since the man saw you."

Noriko jumped, but then said, "O-of course I will, Grandfather!" She exclaimed. Mr. Pokémon nodded. "That's my girl!" He laughed. "Well then, off you go!"

The girls turned to leave, but were stopped by none other than Professor Oak. "Wait there, you two girls!" He said. Gin and Kin turned.

"W-what is it?" Gin asked, still in awe of the figure before her. Professor Oak reached into his coat pocket and took out two small compact machines, one a deep blue color and the other a shining pink.

"These are a new invention of mine called Pokédexes." Oak informed. "You just point it at a Pokémon and it scans it, tells you any information you need to know about it and then records it in its database. What I want you to do is take these with you while you are traveling around Johto. I'm sure they'll come in handy. I need the data of as many Pokémon as you can find registered into it by the time you give it back—which you actually will never truly do, you'll just lend it to me every so often so I can check what you've got and download it into my computer. Simple, no? So will you do it?"

Kin's eyes were swirly from all the talking he had done, but Gin nodded. "Of course we will, Professor." She said, taking the dark blue one for herself and handing the pink one to Kin.

"Actually, Noriko has one also. Hers is green," Oak continued, and Noriko smiled and held up her green Pokedex.

"Now then!" Mr. Pokémon burst out. "It's about time you three got going, don't you think?"

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**Kin: OH MY GOD. *falls onto floor* I NEED SLEEP.**

**Gin: …Kin typed most of this with me last night on a sleepover. And if I'm right about you working the entire time after I left, you finished it when?**

**Kin: 9:43 PM. That is over 10 hours' work. Just shoot me in the head now, will ya?**

**Gin: No. And we have a special announcement: **_**Of Seas and Skies**_** is being drawn as a manga, or comic, on DeviantArt. You can't post links on stories, so go to our profile to check out the manga and more artwork for this story. By the way, Kin illustrates all this.**

**Kin: Yay! More work for me! *bangs head on wall repeatedly***

**Please review!**

**And read the manga too!**

**(Hey, it rhymes.)**


	5. Of British Accents and Meeting Again

**Of Seas and Skies**

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**Author's Note: We'll have to speed through the route to Violet City, sorry if we're going too fast.**

**Kin: AND WE'RE BACK!**

**Gin: But before the chapter, we have something to reveal.**

**Kin: Awhile back, we revealed our two male leads—Uruha and Daiki. You all pointed out which one you liked best in your reviews.**

**Gin: And the winner of this unexpected contest was…**

**Kin and Gin: DAIKI!**

**Uruha: *bow* Thank you, thank—wait, WHAT?**

**Daiki: *blush* Um, thank you for voting for me!**

**Kin: And now to satisfy our fangirls' needs…**

**Daiki: ?**

**Kin: *takes out maid costume* CROSSDRESSING! Daiki, change into this!**

**Daiki: E-ehhhhh?**

**Gin: *looks away, face slightly red***

**Uruha: *seething* …**

**Disclaimer: We don't own, uh… *flips through list* Bakugan, Digimon, Dokapon, Robopon…**

**Gin: How many Pokémon rip-offs ARE there?  
**

**Kin: *sweatdropping and still looking through the list* No, no, no… Ah! Pokémon! Yes, we don't own Pokémon. (and all the things in that list DO exist… XD)**

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"Professor Elm? Are you here?"

Gin, Kin, and their new acquaintance Noriko walked into Professor Elm's lab back in New Bark town. Gin looked around. "Professor Elm, where a—WHOA!" She started, but just then the good professor's head popped up from a pile of random papers and books.

"Ah, Gin! Kin! And is that you, Noriko?" Professor Elm said, standing up. He looked over at Gin, who was bent over a desk and breathing heavily. "…Are you quite alright?" He inquired, but Gin simply replied, "Yeah. Just give me a moment to restart my heart."

"What were you doing in there, Professor?" Kin asked, and Elm sweatdropped and answered, "J-just looking for some papers… Oh, but besides that! Did you get the Egg?" 

Kin nodded. "Yup!" She sang, taking the Egg case out of her bag and giving it to Elm. The professor nodded happily. "Thank you! I'll be sure to examine it closely. And Noriko! It's been at least 13 years, hasn't it? How old are you now?"

The girl replied, "S-seventeen, Professor." Noriko, in case you forgot, was Mr. Pokémon's granddaughter. She was very tall, wore thick silver rimmed glasses, and had _very _long black hair that was only about an inch from the ground.

"Well, if you don't mind we'll be going," Gin said. "We have to talk to Kin's mom about our plans."

"Ah! Wait!" Professor Elm stammered. "Here, take these!" He handed the girls Chikorita and Cyndaquil's balls. "You can switch your Pokémon now so that you can walk around with any one of the." He explained.

Gin and Kin said their thanks, then exited the lab, Noriko tailing behind.

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"…And that's the plan for our journey." Gin finished.

Kin's mother smiled. "I see… Well, I wish you two the best of luck. I'll miss you. _Both _of you." She said, looking pointedly at Gin, who coughed nervously.

Kin smiled. "Thank you so much, Mom!" She said happily, hugging and kissing her mother before bolting to the door. Gin stayed where she was, facing Ms. Aomori.

"I… I just want to say thank you." She confessed. "For everything. I mean, you've been letting me live here for three years now, and—"

"Don't worry about it, dear." Ms. Aomori assured. "You're like a second daughter to me now."

"I—I just… I couldn't stay in that place anymore." Gin mumbled. "It was _suffocating_. I couldn't bear it. I just…" Kin's mother nodded in understanding.

"It's OK, darling. Just take care of yourself, promise? Don't obsess over Kin too much. She's a big girl now, and she can handle herself." She said. Gin protested. "Kin's taken care of me for so long, and you've even accepted me into your family. The least I can do is protect her."

Kin's mother sighed, knowing she was going to lose this battle, but said, "I know, dear. I'm just saying, you're a beautiful young girl. Don't concern yourself too much over my daughter."

Gin looked like she was going to protest more, but then calmed herself, saying, "I'll try, Ms. Aomori."

"Ms. Aomori?" The middle aged woman blinked in mock confusion. "Last I checked, daughters didn't call their mothers by formal names."

Gin smiled slightly. "I'll try… Mother."

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"Gi~in! No~ri~ko!" Kin called happily. "Hurry up!"

The threesome had passed through Cherrygrove already (tactically avoiding the town elder while they were at it) and were now taking the left fork in the road towards Violet City. Gin's Spearow was out as Chikorita was in her ball, and seemed just as worried as Gin as the girl advised, "Kin, not so fast or you'll get lost again."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Kin groaned, slowing a bit. Gin turned to Noriko. "So… do you plan on staying with us this whole time?"

Noriko jumped. "A-ah! If you don't want me be here, I'll go, but I was hoping that—"

"No, no!" Gin laughed nervously. "It's just that I was wondering if you _would _stay with us. It'd be nice to have a Breeder on the team, some extra intelligence wouldn't hurt. And we've already become acquainted, so it'd be a shame to say our farewells."

Noriko blinked twice through her thick glasses, but then beamed. "Y-yes, I was thinking the same! Thank you so much!"

The thirteen-year old and seventeen-year old smiled at each other for a bit, but were then cut off by what seemed to be the voice of a little boy.

"Hey! HEY!"

A boy who looked to be about ten or eleven was sprinting up to them. "Are any of you guys Trainers?" He asked.

Gin spoke up. "I am." The boy grinned. "Our eyes have met! THAT MEANS WE MUST BATTLE!" He demanded.

Gin blinked, obviously taken aback. "O-of course." She consented.

"Good! My name's Joey, by the way!" The boy yelled, running about ten feet away from the group and taking his battle stance. "Go, RATTATA!"

"Alright then, Spearow, if you please?" Gin requested, and Spearow immediately fluttered off her shoulder and onto the field.

"Tackle attack!" Joey commanded energetically. Rattata charged, and Gin ordered Spearow to dodge. The Flying-type moved swiftly out of the way before Rattata hit it. "Peck," Gin compelled quietly. Spearow quickly dove for Rattata, pecking it furiously.

Kin and Noriko were surprised. "How did she know Spearow knew that move?" Kin asked Noriko. Gin overheard this and thought quietly to herself, _'Because Spearow used that move on that Daiki fellow earlier.'_

The battle continued much in that same manner, Rattata trying and failing to tackle Spearow, and Spearow angrily pecking Rattata into oblivion. Eventually, Rattata finally fainted.

"NOO! RATTATA!" Joey wailed. Gin smiled at her Spearow, which had escaped the battle with barely a scratch. "Good one, Spearow." She praised, picking up her bird Pokémon and setting it back on her shoulder.

Joey walked up to Gin. "Excuse me, miss!" He said loudly. Gin looked down at the little boy. "Yes?"

"You're good at battling! Would ya like to swap Pokegear numbers?" The boy asked. Gin blinked. "Um, sure, I guess…"

A few minutes later, the deed was done, and the trio continued on to Violet City. Two minutes into the walk, however, Gin's Pokegear started ringing.

"Probably your mom or Elm, Kin." Gin muttered. "Umm…" She hit the 'answer' button. "Hello?"

"Hi Gin!" Joey chirped on the other end. Gin was confused. "Joey?" She asked.

"Yep, it's me! So you remembered! Hey, ever since we last saw each other, my Rattata's gotten a lot stronger! It's like my Rattata is in the TOP PERCENTAGE of Rattata!" Joey continued. Gin blinked. "…Joey, I just saw you not two minutes ago." She reminded.

"Oh! Gotta go, I think I see a Caterpie in the grass! Bye!" Joey then hung up.

…

Gin started fiddling with her Pokegear. "Something wrong?" Noriko asked. "Was it my mom?" Kin asked eagerly.

"Er, no." Gin said. "Just… how do you delete numbers? I'm not sure Joey is quite right in the head."

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A few hours later, the threesome had set foot in Violet City. It was a dark colored and slightly old fashioned town. Kin smiled.

"I'm going to go shopping for supplies. Gin, Noririn, you go check out the Gym and stuff!" She said, running off with her Sentret.

Noriko blinked. "Did… did she just call me Nori… _rin_?" She asked nervously. Gin seemed to be trying not to laugh. "S-she tends to make up nicknames for people," She explained. "I guess you're Noririn."

A few moments later, the two were at the gym. Gin reached for the door and pulled a bit, but it didn't budge.

"Ah… Hm?" Gin tried more, but it still didn't open. Noriko was worried. "Maybe the Gym Leader is on holiday…?"

"Perhaps," Gin murmured. "But if so, there would still be a sign saying so…"

"Oh, are you looking for Falkner? He's off visiting a friend and…"

Gin and Noriko turned to see a familiar boy with forest green eyes and yellow tinted goggles perched in messy brown hair facing them. A Sneasel was standing next to him. "…And…" The boy was trailing off.

Gin's eyes widened, and Spearow's instantly narrowed. The boy was blinking rapidly. "Oh… it's you!" He exclaimed in recognition.

"Gin, do you know this boy?" Noriko asked. Gin nodded. "This is Daiki. Daiki…" She faltered, realizing she hadn't caught his last name. "S-Sakamoto." Daiki supplied nervously. "And your last name?"

"Ah. It's Suzuki. Gin Suzuki." Gin informed, instantly pulling a cold curtain around her personality.

Daiki smiled and nodded. "Y-yes, Miss Suzuki." He said. Gin blushed lightly and sweatdropped. "M—miss…?" She muttered to herself. Daiki simply beamed, clueless of her uncomfortable state.

"Falkner, the Gym Leader, is out visiting friends in Azalea Town, and he won't be back until early tomorrow." Daiki explained again. Gin sighed. "Is that so…? Oh, well. There go my plans for today."

"Oh, wait!" Daiki interrupted hurriedly. "There's a place nearby called Sprout Tower. It's a great place for training. I was just about to go there. Would you like to come with me?"

Gin blinked. "…Well, if there's a place where I can train, I don't mind." She murmured.

Daiki beamed more, which Noriko took in quietly. It was obvious that this boy was someone who tried to get to know people as best as he could, and he seemed to take in every aspect of Gin: Her cold, unsociable personality, her practical mind-reading abilities, even the slight lilt of an accent she had: it seemed to be a British one by the sound of it.

"Noriko, I'm going to the Sprout Tower with Daiki. Are you coming?" Gin asked, breaking Noriko out of her reverie.

"N-no, I think I'll explore the town more. Thank you for offering, though!" Noriko replied nervously.

Gin nodded, then swiftly walked off with Daiki, ignoring his small talk with all the regality of a queen.

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Kin looked around the PokéMart carefully, taking in the prices deeply.

"Oh!" She exclaimed suddenly. "Super Potions twenty-five percent off! I'll buy a few for Gin… And maybe a few new hair binders for us too, we keep losing some. Oh! Noririn would love these ribbons, and they're half off, too!"

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Examining prices? You have my praise."

"Who—!" Kin spun around to see a dark blue eyed boy with pitch black hair that was grown out a little. A Totodile sat on his shoulder, and the boy also wore glasses.

…

"…Who're you?" Kin asked.

The boy blinked, then sweatdropped. "I-it's me, Uruha!" He laughed nervously. "Don't you remember, Princess?"

Kin growled. "You can't be _him_! Stalker Boy didn't wear glasses!"

The boy sighed and took off his glasses.

…

"STA—" Kin started, but Uruha cut her off with his hand before people started to stare. "Idiot, we already got past the fact that _I am not a stalker_!" He said angrily.

"Mmm mmmph!" Kin protested through his skin. Uruha sighed and released her mouth. Kin coughed, then demanded, "What are you _doing _here?"

Uruha blinked. "I'm here for the Pokémon Contest. Same as you, right?" He answered obviously. "Hah?" Kin intoned blankly.

"What, you're not entering the Contest?" Uruha huffed irritably. "I guess I should be happy for the lack of competition, but I was still looking forward to competing against you…"

"W-well I didn't know there would be a Contest!" Kin protested. "I probably wouldn't be any good at them anyway. And besides, I don't have anything to wear. Contests require flashy costumes, right?"

"You'd be great at Contests," Uruha protested, "And I could help you find a dress. I have _fabulous _fashion sense." He added smartly, flipping his hair.

Kin glared. "And what if fashion sense." He added smartly, flipping his hair, and Kin could have _sworn_ she saw the kind of sparkles you saw in shojo manga appear around him.

Kin glowered more. "And what if you try to pull something on me?" She insisted, unconsciously clenching the hand he had kissed at their last encounter. Uruha rolled his eyes. "The _minute _I lay a hand on you, I'll leave at your bidding. You have my word on it."

Kin glared a little longer, then exhaled, frustrated. "…Fine. I'll try the stupid contest. But don't you _dare_ try anything on me!" She ordered again, and then she followed Uruha to the clothing section of the store.

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"T… this is Sprout Tower?"

…Gin inquired, her lilted accent quivering slightly as she stared up a giant tower—and was that thing _swaying_?

Daiki nodded happily. "Yep! I heard the Trainers here are really strong!" He smiled. "So, shall we?"

He started for the door, but Gin unexpectedly grabbed the back of his shirt. Daiki turned to face her, his cheeks slightly red, but was surprised to see Gin's eyes locked on the top of the tower, wide and nervous.

"…Miss Suzuki, is something wrong?" He inquired. Sneasel seemed concerned too. Gin squeaked, "P-perhaps we could try training somewhere else? F-for example, I just met this _lovely_ Joey chap back down on Route 30, and well, that just seems _so _much more exciting than this silly old tower, so shall we?" Her words ran together rapidly, and as her volume increased so did her British accent.

Daiki blinked, then followed Gin's gaze to the top of the tower. He then looked back uncertainly at Gin. "…Miss Suzuki," He asked carefully, "You're… you're not afraid of _heights_, are you?" Sneasel seemed just as curious.

"_Heights!"_ Gin's voice had a bit of a hysterical edge to it now. "H-hei—I am _not _afraid of heights. I'm just a bit frightened of how far the top of the tower is from the ground, that's all!"

Daiki looked concerned. "I could help you with your fear. Of heights, I mean." He offered. "I told you, I am _not _afraid of—" Gin started, but the look in Daiki's eyes told her the jig was up. She sighed.

"…Do you really think you can help me?" She whispered, her accent fading into a normal voice.

Daiki smiled and nodded as his Sneasel grinned.

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"I still can't believe you _paid _for the dress!"

…Kin screamed as she and Uruha walked down the streets of Violet City. Uruha was grinning as Kin held a large bag from the store in her hands.

"Paying for a lady is the _gentlemanly _thing to do, Princess." Uruha reasoned cockily. Totodile rolled his eyes. Kin exhaled, exasperated, and her Cyndaquil sweatdropped.

"I'm just saying that—" Kin's next sentence was cut off by something that instantly grabbed her attention. Uruha blinked. "…That?" He asked, but was only answered by a yell of,

"IT'S SO CUTE!"

Uruha winced at the ear-piercing squeal, but then followed Kin's gaze to see a small blue Horsea basking in the water. Kin was staring at it with sparkles in her eyes. "So _cute_…" She sighed. She then looked determined and grabbed a Pokéball out of her bag.

As soon as the Horsea noticed the Pokéball in Kin's hand, however, it suddenly whinnied sharply and retreated underwater. Kin got tears in her eyes. "Noo!" She whined. Uruha blinked. "Why don't you just go after it?" He asked. "You can catch Pokémon underwater, you know."

Kin suddenly twiddled her thumbs nervously. "Umm… Well… T-that's…"

Uruha asked more. "You don't have a bathing suit?"

"N-no, but…" Kin mumbled.

"Then what—" Uruha pressed more, but then stopped. He then asked cautiously, "…Princess. Do you not know how to swim?"

"…M-maybe…"

Uruha tried not to laugh. Then he looked as if he was struck with a great idea.

"Hey, how about I teach you? How to swim, I mean?"

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**Kin: YES! Typed mostly on a sleepover with Gin and finished at 11:30 PM… Which means… ONLY THIRTY MINUTES UNTIL POKÉMON BLACK AND WHITE OFFICIALLY COMES OUT!**

Gin: *blows noisemaker*

**Please review~!**


	6. Of Flight and Floods

**Of Seas and Skies**

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**Noriko: We're ba—hm? Where's Kin?**

*Kin slouches into room*

**Kin: *runs in* Sorry I'm late!**

**Gin: *whacks her on head* You're two minutes late. Hurry up next time.**

**Uruha: You say that, Ponytail, but you were one minute late today.**

**Gin: …**

**Disclaimer:**

**Daiki: U-um, Miss Suzuki and Miss Aomori don't own Pokémon. *smile***

**Kin: Isn't he just the most precious thing?**

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"Are you _quite_ sure this is a good idea?"

…Gin asked as she stared at Daiki nervously. Daiki was smiling after explaining how he was going to cure Gin of her fear of heights as he had promised last chapter (if you don't remember this, then _stop reading and go back._). "Of course it is!" He said confidently. "Now then…"

He threw a Pokéball into the air, calling, "Chalybs!" A large bird Pokémon with steely gray wings and red bronze feathers, a Skarmory burst out of the ball and set itself on the ground with elegance.

Gin's mouth went dry. "We're going to fly… into the air… on _this thing_?" She squeaked, and the lilt of a British accent that appeared whenever she was nervous came into her uncertain voice. Daiki nodded.

"Yup!" He beamed, smiling as if this were all just a lovely and grand adventure: _'Oh, let's fly up fifty or so feet into the air in order to cure your fear of heights. It'll be fun!'_

Gin turned on one heel and started walking away. "No. Uh-uh. I absolutely refuse to do this."

It took awhile for that sentence to sink into Daiki's mind. "OK, so you can just hop onto Chalybs here and—wait, huh?" He jumped a little in surprise as his brain (finally) registered the sentence structure, and immediately his Sneasel ran up to Gin and started waving her claws furiously.

"Sneasel! Sneasel snea snea!" She screeched, swiping at the ponytailed girl's legs. "H-hey!" Gin gasped, startled by the Ice Pokémon's sudden anger. She backed up quickly, stepping in reverse so as not to be cut by Sneasel's long silver claws. Eventually she bumped into Daiki, who grabbed her shoulders as she came into contact with him. He looked sternly at his Sneasel.

"Rosalba." He chided. "You shouldn't act like that towards Miss Suzuki." Gin sweatdropped again at his polite way of addressing her.

"You… don't have to call me 'Miss Suzuki', Daiki." She informed nervously, swiveling around to face him. Daiki blinked, and then his eyes grew wide.

"M—_Mrs. _Suzuki?" he stammered. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize… Then again, you do look my age, and you don't wear a ring, so I assumed…"

Gin's face went a fine red color. "What? No! That's not it! I just… that's… you know what? Never mind. Call me Miss Suzuki." She sighed, knowing it was hopeless to explain further. She then looked down towards his Sneasel.

"So… Her name is Rosalba?" She inquired. Daiki nodded.

"Yes. She's very good at freezing things finely so they're coated very thinly in ice. She can freeze flowers beautifully, and it's something we do frequently for practice. Rosalba is Latin for 'white rose', so…" He explained. "Oh, and Chalybs is my Skarmory's nickname. It's Latin for 'steel'." Gin nodded in understanding.

"I see what you did there," She murmured, nodding again slowly. "I have to admire you for this; I haven't even thought of naming my Chikorita and Spearow yet."

Daiki went a faint red and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, saying, "Oh, no, it's really nothing. I just needed something to set Rosalba apart."

Gin nodded yet again, this time with an absentminded air, and said quietly, "Still, I should come up with names for Chikorita and Spearow…"

The girl then stood up abruptly. "Well, this has been a jolly good chat, hasn't it?" She said, her accent returning all of a sudden. "I'll just be going, then…" She started walking rapidly down the path back to town. Just about thirty feet away. She could do this. She still could get away. Daiki had probably forgotten all about the plan by n—

Daiki grabbed her hand and pulled Gin back.

"Just one moment, Miss Suzuki," He smiled. "We haven't even started the plan to get rid of your fear of heights yet.

_Dammit._

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"OK, before we get started with lessons, I need to ask a few questions."

"Sure!"

"Have you ever swum before?"

"No!"

"What do you know about swimming?"

"Nothing!"

"Do you have any prior experience with water?"

"I've cooked with it!"

"Not what I was looking for, but no matter. Now for the most important question…"

Uruha turned towards Kin after his thoughtful pacing in front of her seat on a log bench.

"Do you own a bathing suit?"

"STALKER!"

Uruha sweatdropped. "Jeez, Princess! I needed to know that so that if you didn't own one, we could go buy one to save time!" He explained hastily.

"Well I _do_ own one. So ha!" Kin said, sticking out her tongue. Uruha's eye twitched slightly at the childish gesture, but he shook it off.

For those of you who read last chapter (and if you didn't, then we again _strongly_ recommend you stop reading this), then you will remember that Uruha had suggested that he help Kin overcome her inability to swim. The two were located at a clean and clear lake about twenty minutes' walk away from Violet City, and there was no one else around but them.

"Well, we should get changed now, then." Uruha commented, bending down to where his backpack was and digging around for his swimsuit. Kin's face turned pure crimson in two seconds flat.

"G…ge… ehhhhh?" She screamed in alarm. Uruha looked up and blinked innocently, his dark blue eyes wide.

"Is something wrong?" He inquired innocently, but he had the devil's gleam in those angelic irises. Kin grinded her teeth in anger as it slowly sank in that he was about to toy with her again.

"W-we can't change _together!_" She screeched in protest. "I'm a _girl_! I'll lose my innocence!"

Uruha feigned surprise again as he stared at Kin with even wider eyes. "_Princess!_" He gasped dramatically. "I cannot _believe _you would assume that I would try something as _impure _as that! I was merely about to suggest that we change behind the bushes!"

Kin went an even darker red. "I don't want to be called 'impure' by the likes of you!" She screamed, picking up her backpack and storming into a safe little clearing out of sight from where Uruha was standing.

A few minutes later, Uruha was wearing simple black swim trunks and Kin was dressed in a white bathing suit with pink ruffles and a bow on the chest. Uruha nodded. "OK, that should do. Now then, first things first we should get in the water… Princess?"

Kin was bent over her pile of clothes, folding something carefully into her shirt. "…OK… Done. Nice and safe." She muttered, placing the little self made package safely on the grass.

Uruha blinked curiously, but then coughed loudly. "So, uh, the water…" He tried again. Kin stood and looked into the lake, her expression turning to one of slight intimidation.

"Err… Why don't you go in first?" She stammered. Uruha stared. "Why?"

"W-well, the water could be dirty…!" Kin struggled. The boy opposite her raised an eyebrow irritably.

"Princess," He sighed, "the water's crystal clear. Not a speck of dirt in sight. Now get _in_."

…

"…I don't want to."

…

"I didn't want to resort to this, but you leave me no choice." Uruha stated firmly. He then took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. "Lady, come out!"

The white light burst out as per usual, and a Ledyba gradually became visual and began darting about through the air. Kin's eyes lit up in admiration as Uruha took it onto his arm.

"This is Lady," He announced. "Say hi, girl!"

"Ledy! Ledyba!" Lady chirruped happily. Kin beamed at the beautiful Bug-type. "So cute… Her name's Lady? I haven't even thought of naming my Pokémon yet." She admired. "Does your Totodile have a name too?"

"Of course," Uruha answered, nodding. "His name's Toto."

Kin sweatdropped. "Somehow your names all sound like shortened versions of the real thing." She muttered.

Uruha didn't notice her remark, however, as he was whispering something in Lady's ear (antennae?). Lady nodded, then fluttered over to Kin and landed on her head.

"Hello," Kin sang happily, but Lady didn't answer as she crawled down Kin's body to the small of her back. She then gripped the girl's swimsuit in the round spheres that were supposedly hands and lifted her up into the air.

"Eh—ehhhh?" Kin gasped as she was carried upward. She noticed that she was being taken towards the lake. She then looked down at Uruha to see him grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"YOU BASTARD—" She started, but was cut off as Lady dropped her and she fell swiftly into the water.

When she finally managed to stand upright in the four-feet deep water, she was gasping for breath. Uruha was cracking up. "That was _priceless!_" He gasped through his laughter.

Kin snarled at him. "Oh, yeah?" she growled, moving to the edge of the lake and grabbing Uruha's wrist. She pulled viciously.

"Wha—HEY—" Uruha started, but he was quickly silenced by a mouthful of freshwater. He surfaced quickly, taking in his precious oxygen.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Kin crowed in triumph. "Victory is mine, pretty-boy!"

"Y-you—!" Uruha spluttered through the liquid that was now drenching his throat. "Learn some respect, Princess, or I might just decide to not teach you how to swim."

"Promise?" Kin said, her voice becoming hopeful. Uruha growled in retort.

"No. I take that back. I am going to teach you to swim _as punishment,_" he snarled. "Now get into the floating position."

Kin stared blankly.

…

"…You… don't know how to float, do you?"

"…No."

Uruha sighed. "Get on your stomach… I'll hold you up."

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"I can't do this."

"Yes, you can."

"I'm serious, Sakamoto, _I cannot do this._"

"_Yes, _you _can_. Now just climb on, Miss Suzuki."

Gin gulped.

"I don't want to do this," she insisted.

"Just try it," Daiki soothed from his perch on Chalybs. "I promise I won't let you fall."

Gin looked up at him suspiciously, but Daiki just stared back with utter calmness.

"…Fine," Gin muttered, putting a foot up to climb onto the Skarmory. "But if I fall, I swear to Arceus—"

"You'll pour acid down my throat, disintegrating my organs, then burn me alive as you enjoy my slow, painful death," the brunette recited. "I know, you already gave me the speech several times."

Gin glared up at him menacingly, but then he surprised her by taking her gently by the wrist and pulling her up onto Chalybs with him, seating her so she was nestled comfortably in front of him between his body and the steel bird's neck. Gin scowled more, but slowly settled down.

Daiki pulled down his goggles, and then leaned forward so his chest was pushing into Gin, taking her hands and moving them so they were on Chalybs' neck. He kept his hands on top of hers.

"Don't let go, OK?" He commanded.

"Why on _earth_ would I let—" Gin started, but was quickly interrupted by the moving of steel wings.

She screamed, but was quickly silenced by the fact that she was now _a hundred feet in the fricking atmosphere._

Immediately, Gin's voice seemed to have vanished. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out, and she felt sick from the realization that there was no ground beneath her.

She started to look down in the hopes of being shocked into regaining her voice and _screaming for help_, but just then she felt Daiki's hands tighten on hers.

"Don't look down," he murmured in her ear, "just focus on flying. Focus on the wind."

Gin blinked, and would have made a retort if it hadn't been for the fact that she couldn't quite feel her legs at the moment.

"The wind?" she finally managed to snap (if not somewhat weakly). "What in the name of Arceus are you—"

"Just focus," Daiki assured.

Gin groaned, and then simply closed her eyes in the hopes that the nightmare would soon be over. Slowly, though… she seemed to become absorbed in the weightless feeling she had. She slowly accepted the plain, hard fact of the cool wind brushing against her face and sending her ponytail flying out behind her—which, she would realize later, had probably been an inconvenience to Daiki. This was _amazing. _Why hadn't she done this before? It was incredible, the wind on her cheeks, the feeling of weightlessness, the slow beat of Chalybs' wings—

Then she looked down.

Oh. _That_ was why.

"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" Gin screamed. She felt Daiki jolt slightly behind her.

"What's wrong?" He demanded over the steady flapping of Chalybs' flight.

"I—I can't, I can't do it, I need to get down!" Gin screamed. "Let me down _now!_"

"O-OK, OK!" said Daiki. "Chalybs, let's get back down to Sprout Tower!"

Gin was breathing heavily. Stars began to blot her vision, her insides feeling as if all the blood had turned to vapor. Her body went limp, and the next thing she heard was the faint noise of Daiki's hands on her waist as he yelled her name before everything went black.

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"I can't do this."

"Yes, you can."

"I'm serious, Stalker Boy, _I cannot do this._"

"I'm not a stalker, and _yes, _you _can._"

Kin gulped.

The purple-haired girl and Uruha were still in the lake. Kin was laying facedown in the water, Uruha's hands on her stomach—and not _anywhere else, _as she had commanded him viciously.

"…D-don't let go," Kin whimpered.

Uruha sighed. "I won't let go," he promised. "Just do it like we practiced."

Kin took a deep breath. Then she put her head underwater.

…

She stayed under for about one second and a half, but then her body suddenly started flailing around.

"What in the-!" Uruha yelped, pulling her up so she was standing. "What happened?"

"I—I couldn't breathe…!" Kin choked, coughing up water.

Uruha stared. "…You… you tried _breathing _underwater?" He finally said.

Kin nodded. "Through my nose," she sniffed.

Uruha simply stared more, at a complete loss for words. Finally, he took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying desperately to stop what he knew was an oncoming migraine.

"…Princess," he said in a clipped tone, "it is _not possible _to breathe _underwater. _That's why I told you to take a deep breath before you went in."

Kin simply sniffled more. Uruha sighed.

"OK," he said, "let's try this again. Try not to breathe this time, it's bad for your health."

Kin nodded, then submerged her head in the water. Uruha waited a second, then slowly removed his hands from underneath her.

Kin stayed underwater this time, holding her breath perfectly. Uruha grinned.

"See?" He said triumphantly. "I knew you could do it."

…

"…Princess?"

…

Uruha quickly pulled Kin out of the water, letting her take a deep breath as he did so.

"Why didn't you come up?" He demanded.

Kin's eyes were now basically swirls of dizziness as she struggled to regain her mental stability.

"I… didn't know… when to come up," she eventually gasped. Uruha groaned.

"Here's a hint," he said through gritted teeth, "when you _run out of oxygen, COME OUT OF THE WATER!"_

"I'll… do that… next time," Kin wheezed.

Uruha sighed. "Yeah… you do that. Anyways, let's get—"

He was cut off by Kin's head falling onto his shoulder, and her body going limp.

"…Princess?"

…

"PRINCESS!"

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A half-hour later, Daiki and Uruha were waiting in the lobby of the Pokémon Center.

"I still can't believe _both _of us decided to give these girls lessons on their fears," Uruha sighed, "and that _both _of them happened to pass out at the exact same time."

"Yeah," Daiki agreed, running a hand through his bangs. His flight goggles were now perched perfectly on his head again. "Freak coincidence, huh?"

A few moments of silence passed, and then Daiki spoke again.

"Hey…" he said, "…how do you think those two know each other, anyway? Could they be twin sisters? I mean, they're definitely about our age, fourteen years old…"

"Twins?" Uruha scoffed. "You're joking, right? Even if they were fraternal twins, there's no way they're related. One's got purple hair, the other's got red, one's got yellow eyes and the other's got blue. And that's not even taking their personalities into account…"

"True," sighed Daiki. "I guess the sister theory is out… but still… how do you think they know each other?"

Uruha shrugged in response. Just then, though, Noriko walked in the front door, murmuring to herself.

"Good, I managed to get stocked on food and supplies to last us until Azalea Town…" she muttered. Then she looked up and blinked. "Hm? Sakamoto and… who are you, again?"

"Uruha," Uruha said. "Uruha Saito."

Noriko nodded. "Nice to meet you," she said with a bow. Then she turned to Daiki. "What are you doing here? I thought you were helping Gin overcome her fear of heights…"

"Ah," Daiki laughed nervously. Uruha sweatdropped silently. "W-well… you see…"

…

"WHAAT?" Noriko exclaimed, her eyes growing wide behind her glasses. "GIN AND KIN ARE BOTH—"

"Shhhhh!" Noriko's freak-out session was interrupted by Nurse Joy coming out of the room Gin and Kin were in.

Daiki and Uruha stood from their seats on the hall bench.

"Is she alright?" Daiki asked.

"Can I see her?" Uruha demanded.

Noriko simply blinked at Nurse Joy, her own questions having already been asked.

Nurse Joy sighed. "Both Miss Suzuki and Miss Aomori are fine," she affirmed, causing the three's shoulders to slump in relief. They're sleeping right now, so you can go ahead and see them but please be quiet."

The group promised they would, thanking the nurse again, and then went into the room.

Gin and Kin were asleep on a single white bed next to each other. Gin was lying down with Kin's body nuzzled into hers, the purple-haired girl curled up snugly into her companion with her head resting on the blue-eyed girl's chest. Gin had one arm wrapped around Kin, and the two looked very comfortable and at peace together.

"Thank Arceus…" Daiki sighed, "I nearly had a heart attack when Miss Suzuki fainted."

Uruha nodded. "Same, I completely freaked when Miss Oxygen Depravation here passed out on me…" he muttered.

"Just thank goodness they're alright," Noriko sighed.

Kin's head nuzzled further into Gin's chest, and Gin's arm seemed to tighten around her as a result.

"…Wow," Uruha commented, "these two are… really close."

Noriko nodded. "Yes…" she agreed, "their love doesn't seem to be romantic to me, but… how do you put it? They're just…. totally at ease with one another."

Daiki stared at the two girls on the bed. "…Miss Noriko," he said suddenly, "…how do these two know each other, exactly? There's no way they're related."

Noriko looked up. "I'm… not sure, actually," she confessed. "I just started travelling with them recently… so I don't know all that much about them." Daiki nodded in understanding.

"…Well, whatever. Romantic love with another girl or not," Uruha sighed, "I'm going to keep teaching this girl to swim whether she likes it or not. It's silly for a fourteen year old girl to be afraid of water."

Daiki smiled slightly. "And I want to keep teaching Miss Suzuki to overcome her fear of heights," he resolved.

Noriko smiled at them both, but at that moment, Uruha turned away and started walking out of the Pokémon Center. The glasses girl blinked.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Uruha turned slightly to look at her.

"Training," he said. "The Violet City Pokémon Contest is tomorrow, after all."

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**Gin: Aaand we're finally updating, after I got SOMEBODY to get up off her lazy ass and update.**

**Kin: *passed out from writer's exhaustion* …**

**Please review~!**


	7. Of Contests and Gaiety

**Of Seas and Skies**

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**Momoko: AND WE'RE BACK!**

Kin: WHO ARE YOU?

**Momoko: The author. I used to be you.**

**Miyako: And I used to be Gin.**

**Gin: …What the hell is happening?**

**Miyako: We switched things up. Now we're "Momoko and Miyako", fanfiction authors. She's Momoko Harukaze, and I'm Miyako Sumihara. So from now on, you're just the characters. We're the authors.**

**Gin: …Well… I can't decide if this will be less or more confusing.**

**Momoko: Just get used to it.**

**Disclaimer: We do not own the Muppets. Or Pokémon. We wish we owned both, though.**

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"Nn! It feels so nice going out after such a nice rest…!"

It was later in the day after both Gin and Kin had passed out from their harrowing experiences of flight and swimming, and the trio (Gin, Kin, and Noriko) were now exiting the Pokémon Center, the former two girls now fully refreshed and rested.

"It's still only six in the evening," Gin commented with mild surprise as she checked her Pokegear.

Kin's eyes widened. "Seriously?" she commented. "Wow…"

Noriko nodded. "Yeah… well, it's a good thing you two got rested," she said.

The girls walked on in the streets of Violet City for a bit, but then Kin looked up.

"Noririn," she said, using Noriko's pet name, "where did Stalker Boy and Daiki go?"

Noriko sweatdropped. "S-Stalker…?" she mumbled, but then realized that the girl spoke of Uruha. "Ah, Daiki went up to his room in the Pokémon Center to rest… and I believe Uruha went out to train for the Contest tomorrow."

Kin seemed to go uneasy at this. "…Is that so…?" she mumbled.

Gin blinked, noticing her best friend's distress. "Something wrong, Kin?" she asked.

"…Gin…" Kin looked up, her cheeks slightly pink and her eyes shining in the sunset. She looked nervous—and totally adorable. "…c-can I ask you something…?"

Gin immediately felt her heart soften a bit. "Anything," she said quickly.

"…W… w-will you please enter the Pokémon Contest with me tomorrow?"

…

Gin blinked. "…Wha…" she muttered. "Why in the world do you want to do something like that?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"B-because!" Kin said. "I-I want to enter, b-but I don't want to do it by myself…!"

Gin sighed. "I'm sorry, Kin, but the Gym might be open tomorrow, and I can't miss my chance to get my first badge. Besides, even if it's not open, I need to train."

Kin spun around to Noriko. "N-Noririn, could you-?"

Noriko held up her hands in defense. "P-please don't look at me like that, I'm not cut out for this sort of stuff!" she refused vehemently.

Kin sighed, defeated. Gin put a hand on her shoulder.

"Kin," she said, "don't worry. If you want to enter this, I'll support you all the way. Besides… Contests seem like something you'd be good at."

Kin looked up at the redhead. "G-Gin…" she murmured.

Noriko smiled. "Well then," she said happily, "that's settled. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, we'll go to the Contest Hall to get Kin registered." Kin smiled, and Gin nodded in agreement.

"Now," Gin said, "I don't know about you lot, but I'm starved. Can we please go get some food?"

"Yeah!"

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The next morning, the trio was in front of the Violet City Pokémon Gym to see if it was open.

Gin looked thoroughly depressed.

"C-cheer up, Gin," Kin attempted, "m-maybe he'll be here tomorrow…"

Gin grumbled to herself. "This is discouraging," she muttered, "what kind of Gym goes so long without a Gym Leader…?"

Kin laughed nervously, and then cast her gaze to the large sign on the Gym doors stating that the Leader was out. Noriko cleared her throat.

"Well, at least for now," she said, "let's get to the Contest Hall so we can register Kin for the Contest today."

The girls nodded in agreement, and the group set off for the Contest Hall. A short time later, they arrived. It was a large, lavishly decorated building with ribbons and bows all around the roof, and a sign that said _'Violet City Contest Today!'_.

"Wooooww," Kin said in amazement. Gin started walking.

"Well, let's go in," she said, entering with the other girls.

The inside was just as exquisite as the outside. Pictures of past Contest winners and their Pokémon graced the walls, flower vases stood on pedestals, and countless Coordinators groomed their Pokémon as they socialized with one another. At the head of the room, receptionists were accepting Contest entries.

Kin stood frozen for a moment, but then received a gentle nudge from Gin.

"Go on," she said quietly. Kin nodded and walked up with the other two.

"Welcome to the Violet City Contest Hall!" the receptionist chirruped in her cheery, obviously rehearsed tone. "Would you like to enter, or buy a ticket for watching?"

"U-um… I'd like to enter, please," Kin said.

"Alright then!" the receptionist smiled. "Do you have a legit Coordinator license?"

All Kin managed to get out was 'uh'.

"I guess not," the receptionist amended. "Alright then…"

She went under the counter, but then came up again and placed two boxes—one small and silver with a pink rose design with a golden bow in the middle painted on it, and the other a little larger, with some kind of square design on it and a lot of tiny drawers—on the counter. She also put a small pamphlet down.

"The small box is your Ribbon Case," she informed, "and the big one is your Pokéblock case. You can carry Berries that you pick in there. The pamphlet contains the rules for the Contest. It starts at one PM." 

Kin checked her Pokegear—it was ten AM now. Three hours. She gulped.

Gin spoke up. "We'll also have two spectator's tickets," she said, placing some money on the counter.

A few minutes later, the girls were walking into the forest to train. Kin needed to figure out how the hell these contests worked, and Gin wanted to train for her Gym battle.

Kin finished reading the pamphlet containing all the rules for the Contest just as they arrived. "OK, she said, "let's get started, Gin!"

"Right," Gin nodded.

"Chikorita!"

"Cyndaquil!"

"Spearow!"

"Sentret!"

"_I choose you!"_

Immediately, all four of the Pokémon were released. Chikorita nuzzled into Gin's ankle as Spearow landed on her shoulder. Kin held Cyndaquil in her arms as Sentret curled around her leg.

"Now that I think about it," Kin commented, "Noririn gave her Vaporeon a nickname… why shouldn't we do the same thing with our Pokémon?"

"Good point," Gin realized. "I was actually thinking of a few names… Kaelyn for Chikorita since the Pokedex said she's a girl… and Sherwood for Spearow. Do those work?"

Her Pokémon cried out happily in consent.

"Alright then!" Kin smiled. "Cyndaquil, you're Blaze! And Sentret… you're Scout!"

Blaze and Scout both agreed to these happily.

Gin started training by having Kaelyn and Sherwood battle each other, whilst Kin checked the moves of her own Pokémon with her Pokedex.

"According to this," she mumbled to herself, "Blaze knows Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen and Ember… and Scout knows Charm, Scratch, Quick Attack, and Sand Attack."

…

Kin's eyes widened. "…H-how am I supposed to battle with only Normal type moves for Scout…?" she muttered. Scout, hearing this, flattened his ears in annoyance.

Noriko also overheard. "Um," she said slowly, "it's possible for Sentret to learn Mud Slap… and Vapa knows it." She smiled. "I'm sure she'd be glad to teach Scout the move."

Kin blinked. Then she looked around her. Gin, although training hard, was watching her out of the corner of her eye. Noriko was waiting patiently for a response. Blaze and Scout were staring up at her with complete devotion.

She was surrounded by so many people that cared about her. Why was she so afraid?

Kin smiled at Noriko.

"OK," she said, "Please help me train!"

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Three hours later, Kin was in the dressing rooms getting ready for the Contest.

And she was afraid, of course.

She was dressed right—thank Arceus she hadn't let Gin talk her out of bringing her favorite dress. It was a sleeveless pink dress that went to her knees, with black ruffles at the bottom. It was meant to be worn with one pink ribbon and one black ribbon, but Kin was having a bit of trouble tying her hair up into its pigtails.

"Dammit," Kin muttered, her hands shaking so badly from nerves that she couldn't tie her hair up properly, "why didn't I ask Gin to come backstage with me…?"

At that moment, she had a miniscule heart attack in the form of the feeling of someone taking over the job of doing up her hair. She felt two hands gently grabbing one side of her hair and pushing her hand aside, taking the black ribbon out of her grasp.

Kin gasped loudly. "W-who—!" she exclaimed. A number of possibilities popped in her head.

Terrorists. Kidnappers. Murderers. Robbers. Ghosts.

She looked up into the mirror to check.

It was worse.

"Nooo," she moaned. "Not _you._"

Uruha huffed. "What's with the face?" he demanded. "I'm trying to help you, Princess!"

"I can do it on my own," Kin muttered.

"Doubt it," Uruha smirked, "your hands are still shaking." Kin growled in response.

On closer inspection, Uruha was dressed in a scarlet red Chinese-style short-sleeved shirt with gold lining and simple long red pants. He had thin gold bangles handing from his wrists, and a ruby ring on. His black bangs were swept back with a gold hairpin, and his ears were pierced with red rubies.

"So," he said, "you entered the Contest?"

"Oh, no," Kin snapped, her voice dripping in sarcasm, "I'm just sitting backstage, fitting myself for my favorite dress and obsessing over how I'm about to embarrass myself in front of a few hundred people."

Uruha winced.

"Jeez," he muttered as he kept doing her hair, "I was just commenting. I think you'll do fine. You've dressed the part, and you have potential."

Kin didn't respond. A few moments of silence passed as she stared down at her knees, but then she finally spoke up.

"Hey, Stalker Boy, can I ask you something?"

"It's Uruha Saito, for the hundredth time. And what?"

"…Are you gay?"

…

…

…

"…No," Uruha said flatly. "Why the _hell _would you think that?"

Kin blushed.

"B-because!" she defended. "You're dressed all fancy, way different from the other guys that are just in tuxedos! A-and you've got jewelry, a-and you wear your hair a bit long… a-and your personality is a bit…"

Uruha raised an eyebrow.

Kin decided not to continue.

"…S-so I was just wondering," she muttered.

Uruha sighed, but then smiled slightly as he applied hairspray to her scalp.

"Just because I dress cute, wear jewelry, and have a _fabulous_ personality," he said, flipping his hair, "doesn't mean I'm gay, honey."

Kin nodded. "…O-OK."

At that moment, a voice was heard over the intercom connecting to the Contest itself. "Next up, we have Uruha Saito from Goldenrod City!" the emcee announced.

Uruha looked up. "That's my cue," he said, finishing her hair. Kin nodded silently, still looking down.

"Hey," he huffed, "at least look at your hair."

Kin looked up into the mirror. Her eyes widened when she saw that her hair was now in flowing wavy pigtails, one tied by a pink ribbon, the other with a black one. It was perfect.

"How did you—" she started, but was cut off.

"Braiding the hair tightly and letting it sit for a bit before unbraiding makes it wavy," Uruha answered, inspecting his nails unconcernedly, "and applying hairspray sets it so it doesn't wear off for awhile."

Kin simply let her mouth hang open for a moment, but then she stood and faced him.

"T… t-thank you." She said. Uruha smirked.

"No problem," he assured. He looked her straight in the eye.

"Look," he said, "I've never been one to be nervous. After all, with my loveliness, how could I be? But you shouldn't be either. You just have to try your best, and if you failed, at least you failed in a glorious blaze of light. Got it?"

Kin blinked at him. She nodded after a few seconds passed.

Uruha smiled. "Good," he said. "Catch you on the flip side, hon!"

And then he was gone.

Kin's eyes quickly darted up to the TV screen that was showing the entire Contest. She saw Uruha walk on stage to tumultuous applause, then throw his Pokéball, sending out Lady, his Ledyba (and the very Pokémon who had sent Kin on her unwanted trip into the lake yesterday).

Kin watched, mesmerized, as Lady used Light Screen all around the arena, shimmering paper thin sheets appearing all over. Then, quick as lightning, she used Comet Punch on all of them, sending them shattering and releasing glimmering sparkles all over the audience, which cheered so loud it could break your ears.

She felt her heart sink as she realized that she had to go right after that.

The emcee called, "Next up is Kin Aomori from New Bark Town!"

Kin gulped. Then she stepped out on stage.

'_I'm going to die,'_ she thought. _'I am about to die of a heart attack. Oh Arceus, I hope Gin takes good care of my clothes.'_

Her eyes darted to the side, and she saw Gin and Noriko sitting alongside Daiki, who had most likely come to see Uruha. She took a deep breath.

"Scout!" she called, throwing a Pokéball into the air. "I choose you!"

Immediately, Scout was released from his Pokéball in a flash of white light. He looked around nervously at the waiting audience, as if he was about to hide behind Kin, but then seemed to regain his resolve.

"Scout, use Charm!" Kin commanded.

Scout started blowing kisses all around the audience, large hearts shooting out every time he did so. The hearts flew out, then settled in midair.

"Now Mud Slap!" Kin said, the shakiness slowly leaving her voice.

Scout jumped back a bit, then swept his tail around multiple times. Each time, a large amount of mud inexplicably formed and shot itself towards the hearts, shattering them into smaller ones. However, some of the attacks missed, instead landing on members of the audience. The victims were not amused, but the rest of the audience was.

Kin sweatdropped nervously, but kept going.

"Now, Scout! Quick Attack!"

Scout shot up into the air, bursting the remaining hearts and covering his fur in pink sparkles and microscopic hearts. He struck an unplanned yet impressive pose at the end, standing straight on his tail. The audience (except for those drenched in mud) roared in applause. Gin and Noriko clapped loudly, as did Daiki.

Kin smiled and waved, desperately trying to cover the fact that she was a hysterical nervous wreck inside. How could she have been so stupid as to not take the precautions to _not_ hit the audience with slop?

"Alright," the emcee said, "the judges have decided! Here are the people who have been chosen to go to the next round!"

Kin went backstage to watch the screen, barely noticing Uruha's comment on her performance. She must have gotten a low score for that misaimed Mud Slap, heck, she must have gotten a _negative_ score—

"Hey, Princess!" Uruha exclaimed. "Look!"

Kin sighed, looking up at the screen to see the winners of the first round. Sure enough, Uruha was there.

But more surprisingly, she was right there with him.

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The next hour was a whirlwind: Kin was put up against some random girl in the second round, the first battling round. She'd used Blaze, and the girl had used a Spinarak, so she had won out easily after spamming her Ember attacks repeatedly at the Bug-type.

Now she was backstage again, waiting for the next shuffle matchup.

"Nice work, Princess," Uruha said. "You having a good time?"

"You bet!" Kin said enthusiastically as she watched the screen for the next round. "I haven't had this much fun in a—"

The next round's battle opponents were posted.

"…ges…"

There, right next to Kin's picture, was Uruha.

A short silence followed, but then Uruha finally spoke up.

"Well," he said, "would you look at that? I have the honor of battling the Princess herself."

"Uh duh," Kin stammered unintelligibly, at a complete loss for words. Uruha smirked.

"Alrighty then!" he said happily. "I expect your best, Princess."

"Uh."

A few minutes later, she was out on the arena, Uruha standing across from her. And she was still trying to process what the hell was happening.

'_OK, Kin,' _she thought sternly, _'Calm down. CALM! He's just a stalker boy. You can do this. Just use Blaze, spam Ember like last time, and he'll be down right away.'_

"Coordinators," the emcee recited, "send out your Pokémon!"

Kin looked up, a new determination in her stance.

"Blaze!" she yelled, throwing a Pokéball. "I CHOOSE YOU!"

"Toto!" Uruha shouted at the same time, "the stage is YOURS!"

"Huh—?"

Kin watched, dumbfounded, as Toto the Totodile appeared on the arena across from Blaze.

Blaze=Cyndaquil=Fire-type.

Toto=Totodile=Water-type.

Water-type + Fire-type=FIRE-TYPE GETTING THEIR ASS BEATEN.

Kin squeaked.

"OK!" The emcee chanted. "Battle… START!"

"Blaze, use Ember!" Kin commanded instantly.

"Cyndaaaa!" Blaze cried as he spat hot balls of fire at Toto.

Uruha smirked, not doing anything. Kin blinked. _'What is he doing…?' _she thought to herself.

She understood when the Ember attack hit Toto, barely damaging him.

Kin gasped. "N-no—!" she exclaimed.

"Toto!" Uruha yelled. "Use Water Gun!"

Toto jumped back, seemed to take a deep breath, and then proceeded to shoot a huge amount of water at Blaze via his mouth.

"Dodge, Blaze!" Kin screamed, but Blaze was too slow and was hit dead-on.

Blaze rolled a couple of times, lay still for a moment, but then shakily stood.

"Come on, Blaze!" Kin said desperately. "Try a Scratch attack!"

Blaze shook his head in an effort to get his bearings, then charged fast and hard towards Toto.

"Toto!" Uruha commanded, "Water Gun, again!"

Toto shot water out of his massive jaws again, and Blaze was right up in front of him with no chance of dodging. He got hit straight-center, the bulls-eye, and there was nothing Kin could do.

"BLAZE!" she screamed as Blaze fell helplessly to the ground in a faint.

And just like that, it was over. The battle had been one on one, so she couldn't send out Scout.

Uruha had won.

"And that concludes this round of the Violet City Pokémon Contest!" the emcee shouted. "Let's give a big hand to both our contestants!"

Kin felt as if a part of her had fallen off and died. Violently. In a fire. At that moment, though, she remembered something.

'_You just have to try your best, and if you failed, at least you failed in a glorious blaze of light._

'_Got it?'_

Kin sighed as she remembered Uruha's words. She put on a brave smile and waved back to the applauding crowd. Gin was beaming at her, and Noriko was cheering her head off.

After the fuss had died down, Kin changed out of her dress into her traveling clothes. She joined the others in the audience and watched Uruha forge through the rest of the Contest.

In time, Uruha advanced to the final round. After a long and hard battle, his Ledyba defeated the other girl's Gastly, and he won the contest.

Kin was happy for him, but she was happier for someone else: Herself. She had finally found her passion, her calling. Something that made her happy. Something that fulfilled the need inside her that being a Pokémon Trainer could never succeed in.

She was going to be a Coordinator.

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By the time the crowds had dispersed and the Contest Hall was closed, it was at least eight o' clock at night. Gin, Kin, Noriko, Daiki and Uruha were outside the Pokémon Center, about to go in to rest.

"Congratulations again, Uruha!" Noriko smiled.

"Yeah!" Kin agreed.

Gin huffed. "I don't accept this," she muttered, "_Kin_ should have won, not Mr. Fancy-pants over there."

Uruha held back a scowl.

Daiki smiled at Gin. "Ms. Suzuki," he said, "will you be at the Gym tomorrow?"

Gin shrugged. "What's the point?" she said. "I'll probably just train some more…"

Daiki blinked. "…Huh?" he asked. "But… I thought you were going to challenge the Gym Leader…"

"He's out, isn't he?"

"…Yes, but… he's returning tomorrow."

Gin blinked back at him.

"…Excuse me?" she said, laughing nervously. Her accent got a slight British lilt to it.

"You heard him, Ponytail," Uruha scoffed. "The Gym Leader returns tomorrow. You'll finally be able to battle Falkner.

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**Momoko: FINISHED. *dies***

**Miyako: Oh, don't die just yet. You still get to write all the other chapters I've already written up notes for. *buries Momoko in paperwork***

**Please review~!**


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